Among other fun crafts, I make and sell horsehair bracelets on Etsy. All of my hair has been gathered during my work in the animal welfare industry and only a small amount is taken from each horse. I've included a bit about each horse that the hair was sourced from for each bracelet. Some of them have very interesting stories!

I used to use part of the proceeds from my bracelet sales to feed and care for my foster mare, but since she's been adopted I've begun donating $5 from each sale to Team Kareem. They are an animal welfare group dedicated to helping the pyramid horses, donkeys and camels of Cairo, Egypt.

I currently make bracelets in one style - lobster/toggle clasp - $20 shipped with delivery confirmation (USA). Here are some examples of my work.

I will ship internationally to most countries. Unfortunately I have to exclude Italy due to their unreliable postage system. If you are interested in purchasing outside of the USA through Etsy please contact me for a shipping quote.

If you would like a specific hair color combination, size, braid pattern, bead color, etcetra - please contact me here or on Etsy and let me know. I will be happy to make a bracelet to your exact specifications. I have horsehair available in all common colors and can accommodate most requests. I can also make a bracelet to your specifications using tail hair from your horse. The price for this kind of work is the same as for the premades. Turnaround time on all custom work is approximately 2 weeks.

I will also, on a VERY limited basis, make custom bracelets out of your horsehair for free. That's right - FREE! You just pay $3 shipping. What's the catch? Well, because I've stopped working in animal welfare for a while so I can focus on college, I don't have access to horsehair that can be gathered humanely. I'd rather not buy slaughter by-products, plus I like to know the animal who's hair I'm working with. So if you have a horse with tail hair outside the standard bay/sorrel/white color range, and would like a FREE bracelet made with its hair I would be happy to do so in exchange for some hair for myself. Contact me here or on Etsy to see what colors I'm looking for!

*****

COLLECTING HAIR FOR CUSTOM WORK -

The best way I've found to collect horsehair without affecting the horse is to lift the tail and cut out a piece of hair from the middle of the tail at the end of the dock. I've gathered hair from dozens of horses in this manner and have never noticed a difference in the thickness of the tail after. It doesn't take much hair to make a single bracelet, but I recommend taking a little more then needed rather then a little less. For a single bracelet, a hank a little larger then the circumference of a nickel is ideal. Not all the hairs are the same length and the short hairs unsuitable for braiding are removed when prepping. I prefer to do all the prep work myself, so please do not wash or comb the hair before sending it to me.

*****

I haven't done any trading on these forums, but I have an excellent seller reputation on Etsy. For both your protection and mine, I prefer to deal exclusively through Etsy, but if you do not have an account and do not want to make one (Why not? They're free!) I will do private sales as well. I accept Paypal or credit cards through direct checkout on Etsy.

For starters, did you know that horsehair is one of many byproducts of the horse slaughter industry? We all have our own opinions on the ethics of that, but I think we can all agree that regardless of our own personal beliefs it's important to disclose the source of animal materials used in jewelry making. I have seen many, many commercial websites that never say where their hair comes from, dance around the subject, or that state that they buy it from their supplier. This excludes custom work made from the client's horsehair, of course.

I have never found a source of bulk horsehair for crafting that isn't sourced from slaughtered horses. This is fact. Horses are not farmed for their tail hair as it grows much too slowly to be a commercially viable product. Pounds and pounds of tail hair cannot be cut from the horse without leaving it tailless.

I am a small scale crafter, and gathered all my horsehair personally from horses I worked with in the animal welfare industry. I never take enough hair to be noticeable, and I've carefully documented each horse I've taken hair from. Additionally, I make a donation to an equine welfare group for each horsehair bracelet sold. When buying jewelry from me you can be assured that the horse who's hair you are wearing is still alive and well, and generally speaking has been placed in a loving forever home.

Are you willing to use mane hair? I unfortunately had to chop all of my girl's shoulder-length (18" long) hair off due to her making a huge mess of it and tearing some chunks out. Most of it is in good condition, but I'm unwilling to cut her tail since it is so long and full xD

I've never tried mane hair because it's generally so short and fine, but if it's that long I'd be more then willing to give it a shot! I'd ask you to send a little extra though, so I can cull out all but the longest. What isn't used for the jewelry can be returned.

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